A  Meeting  of  the  Descendants 
of  Ebenezer  and  Mary 
(Howard) 


cs 

71 
T124 


A 


MEETING  OF  THE  DESCEND- 
ANTS OF  EBENEZER  AND  MARY 
(HOWARD)  TAFT,  AT  THE  CHESTNUT 
HILL  MEETING-HOUSE  IN  BLACK- 
STONE,  MASS.,  TUESDAY,  AUGUST 
11,  1891,  WITH  THE  ADDRESS  OF 
REV.  CARLTON  A.  STAPLES,  AND 
OTHER  PROCEEDINGS  ON  THAT 
OCCASION. 


MEETING  OF  THE  DESCEND- 

ANTS  OF  EBENEZER  AND  MARY 
(HOWARD)  TAFT,  AT  THE  CHESTNUT 
HILL  MEETING-HOUSE  IN  BLACK- 
STONE,  MASS.,  TUESDAY,  AUGUST 
11,  1891,  WITH  THE  ADDRESS  OF 
REV.  CARLTON  A.  STAPLES,  AND 
OTHER  PROCEEDINGS  ON  THAT 
OCCASION. 


Printed  by  vote  of  those  present. 


THE  following  circular  was  sent  to  the  descendants 
whose  places  of  residence  were  known  :  — 

The  descendants  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary  (Howard)  Taft 
will  hold  a  reunion  at  the  Chestnut  Hill  Meeting-house  on 
Tuesday,  August  11,  commencing  at  10.30  A.M. 

There  will  be  an  address,  with  brief  speeches,  singing 
and  music,  in  the  church,  after  which  dinner  will  be  served 
under  a  tent  in  the  yard  or  in  a  grove  near  by. 

It  is  proposed  that  the  dinner  shall  be  in  the  form  of  a 
basket  picnic,  each  family  bringing  their  own  provisions 
and  spreading  them  upon  a  common  table.  Tea  and  coffee 
will  be  provided  for  all  by  the  committee  in  charge.  No 
admission  fee  will  be  charged,  as  only  a  very  small  expense 
will  be  incurred,  which  can  be  made  up  by  voluntary  con- 
tribution. 

A  cordial  invitation  is  given  to  all  the  grandchildren 
and  great-grandchildren  and  other  descendants  of  our  com- 
mon ancestors  to  attend  the  meeting  and  join  in  the  ser- 
vices. A  committee  has  been  appointed  to  make  all  neces- 
sary arrangements ;  and  it  is  earnestly  desired  that  every 
descendant,  from  the  oldest  to  the  youngest,  may  be  pres- 
ent to  honor  the  memory  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary  Taft  and 
their  twelve  children. 

PUTNAM  W.  TAFT,  Mcndon. 
WILLIS  TAFT,  East  Blackstone, 
CARLTON  A.  STAPLES,  Lexington. 
AUSTIN  A.  FLETCHER,  Franklin. 


PROCEEDINGS. 


The  meeting  was  held  at  the  time  and  place  announced, 
and  the  proceedings  were  according  to  the  following  pro- 
gramme :  — 

READING  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES. 
HYMN.     Tune,  "Naomi." 

So  heaven  is  gathering,  one  by  one, 

In  its  capacious  breast, 
All  that  is  pure  and  permanent 

And  beautiful  and  blest. 

The  family  is  scattered  yet, 

Though  of  one  home  and  heart, — 
Part  militant  in  earthly  gloom, 

In  heavenly  glory  part. 

But  who  can  speak  the  rapture  when 

The  number  is  complete, 
And  all  the  children  sundered  now 

Around  one  Father  meet  ? 

One  fold,  one  Shepherd,  one  employ, 

One  everlasting  home, — 
Our  Father's  house,  from  whose  dear  rest 

No  wanderer  e'er  shall  roam. 

PRAYER. 

ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  BY  PUTNAM  W.  TAFT. 

Music. 

ADDRESS  BY  REV.  C.  A.  STAPLES. 


HYMN.      Tune,  "Hebron." 

How  blest  the  sacred  tie  that  binds 

In  union  sweet  according  minds  ! 

How  swift  the  heavenly  course  they  run, 

Whose  hearts  and  faith  and  hopes  are  one ! 

To  each  the  soul  of  each  how  dear ! 
What  jealous  love,  what  holy  fear ! 
How  doth  the  generous  flame  within 
Refine  from  earth  and  cleanse  from  sin ! 

In  glad  accord  they  seek  the  place 
Where  God  reveals  his  gracious  face. 
How  high,  how  strong,  their  raptures  swell, 
There's  none  but  kindred  souls  can  tell. 

Nor  shall  the  glowing  flame  expire 
When  droops  at  length  frail  nature's  fire ; 
For  they  shall  meet  in  realms  above, — 
A  heaven  of  joy,  because  of  love. 

ADDRESSES  BY  VARIOUS  SPEAKERS. 


The  day  proved  to  be  hot  and  sultry,  but  this  did  not 
prevent  a  large  attendance  of  the  relatives  and  friends, 
some  of  whom  came  a  distance  of  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  to 
attend  the  meeting.  All  but  two  of  the  children  of  Eben- 
ezer  and  Mary  Taft  having  descendants  now  living  were 
represented  by  their  children  or  grandchildren,  and  some 
of  them  by  large  numbers.  Among  these  were  James  and 
Elias  Taft  of  Holliston,  grandsons,  the  former  ninety  years 
of  age,  the  latter  eighty-eight  years,  who  had  ridden  twelve 
miles  that  morning  to  be  present.  Their  younger  brother, 
Nelson  Taft  of  Woonsocket,  eighty-five  years  of  age,  was 
prevented  from  attending  by  sickness.  Hon.  Jared  Benson 
of  Anoka,  Minn.,  a  grandson,  was  unable  to  attend;  but 
a  letter  expressing  his  hearty  sympathy  with  the  occasion 
and  his  regret  not  to  be  present  was  read  to  the  meeting. 
An  orchestra,  conducted  by  Mr.  Stephen  Legg,  discoursed 
inspiring  music;  and  a  choir  of  Chestnut  Hill  singers  (al- 
ways noted  for  spirited  psalmody  singing)  led  the  congre- 


gation  with  the  hymns.  After  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures 
and  prayer  by  Rev.  C.  A.  Staples,  the  president  of  the 
day,  Putnam  W.  Taft,  made  a  cordial  address  of  welcome, 
and  gave  some  pleasant  reminiscences  of  Grandfather  and 
Grandmother  Taft,  and  of  Aunt  Polly  Hayward,  whom  he 
greatly  respected  and  loved.  Then  came  the  address, 
which  occupied  about  one  hour,  and  was  listened  to  atten- 
tively by  the  kindred  and  the  people  of  the  neighborhood, 
some  of  whom  well  remembered  Ebenezer  and  Mary  Taft. 

ADDRESS. 

Kinsmen  and  Friends, —  We  have  gathered  in  this  vener- 
able house,  consecrated  by  the  worship  of  many  genera- 
tions, to  commemorate  the  lives  of  our  common  ancestors, 
Ebenezer  and  Mary  (Howard)  Taft.  Both  were  born  within 
a  few  miles  of  this  place,  in  what  was  then  the  old  town 
of  Mendon.  After  their  marriage  they  always  lived  in 
this  vicinity,  and  here  their  twelve  children  were  born  and 
grew  up  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  In  this  house  was 
their  place  of  worship,  and  here  their  mortal  part  was  con- 
signed to  its  kindred  earth.  All  their  children  lived  to 
years  of  adult  age.  All  save  one  married  and  remained 
until  their  death  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  And  no 
less  than  nine  of  the  twelve  were  buried  in  this  ancient 
abode  of  the  dead. 

No  place,  therefore,  is  so  closely  associated  with  their 
memory  and  that  of  their  children  as  this  old  meeting- 
house, and  "God's  acre"  adjoining  it.  And  it  seems  es- 
pecially fitting  that  we,  their  descendants,  should  gather 
here  to  call  to  mind  their  lives,  visit  their  graves,  enjoy  a 
few  hours  of  social  fellowship,  and  be  drawn  closer  together 
by  the  ties  of  a  common  kinship. 

Grandfather  Ebenezer  Taft  was  born  in  1758,  the  son  of 
Ebenezer  Taft  of  Northbridge  and  Bethiah  Fletcher  of 
Mendon.  Of  his  father  little  is  known,  and  Jhe  son  ap- 
pears to  have  been  left  in  his  early  years  to  the  sole  care 


of  his  mother.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Abraham  Fletcher 
of  Concord,  who  married  Bethiah  Aldrich  of  Mendon  in 
1731,  and  came  here  to  live.  Her  brother,  Asa  Fletcher, 
married  Thankful  Staples,  and  lived  on  the  place  in  Men- 
don known  as  the  Abel  Aldrich  farm  on  the  south  side  of 
Little  Pond.  She  is  remembered  as  a  woman  of  energy 
and  decision,  active,  thoughtful,  of  deep  religious  feelings, 
a  strict  Calvinist  in  theology,  and  a  constant  attendant  upon 
the  Sunday  worship  here  as  long  as  she  was  able  to  come. 
She  lived  with  her  son,  after  he  possessed  a  home  of  his 
own,  and  was  treated  by  him  with  kindness  and  respect. 
Her  grandchildren,  our  fathers  and  mothers,  used  to  speak 
of  her  quaint  and  striking  appearance  on  Sunday  morning, 
when,  wearing  a  red  cloak,  she  started  off  on  foot  for  the 
meeting-house,  two  miles  distant,  or  came  trudging  home 
after  the  services  were  over.  Such  is  the  slight  knowledge 
we  have  of  the  mother  of  Ebenezer  Taft.  She  is  buried 
here  in  the  final  resting-place  of  a  large  number  of  her 
descendants. 

Grandfather,  her  only  child,  was  born  to  a  humble  and 
hard  lot.  Of  his  early  life  we  have  but  the  scantiest 
knowledge.  "Bound  out,"  as  it  was  called,  when  a  mere 
lad  of  ten  or  twelve  years,  to  Captain  Holden  of  Mendon, 
he  probably  remained  with  him  until  the  age  of  seventeen. 
They  were  poor  people,  living  on  a  small  farm  in  a  close 
and  pinched  way.  Captain  Holden,  I  believe,  had  seen 
service  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and,  when  grand- 
father lived  in  the  family,  was  old  and  feeble.  Probably 
the  chief  work  of  the  farm  was  laid  upon  this  boy.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  he  had  a  severe  discipline  in  his  youth  while 
living  with  this  man, —  hard  work,  poor  clothing,  scanty 
fare,  harsh  words,  if  not  cruel  blows,  the  remembrance  of 
which  was  painful  to  him  as  long  as  he  lived.  The  wife 
seems  to  have  been  more  merciless  and  exacting  than  her 
husband,  and  did  much  to  make  his  life  miserable. 

Of  schooling  he  had  but  little,  save  that  of  steady  toil 


and  stern  self-denial.  If  he  attended  school  at  all,  it  was 
only  for  a  brief  period.  Whatever  education  he  possessed 
was  gained  from  his  intercourse  with  men  and  by  his  per- 
sistent struggle  to  improve  his  condition.  In  after  years 
he  transacted  considerable  business  in  buying  and  selling 
land  and  in  the  trading  of  a  prosperous  farmer.  But  be- 
yond his  strict  business  habits  we  know  nothing  of  his 
intellectual  attainments. 

At  rhe  beginning  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution  Eben- 
ezer  Taft  was  not  far  from  seventeen  years  of  age  possibly : 
he  lacked  a  few  months  of  it.  In  1775  Mendon  had  three 
companies  of  minute  men.  One  of  these,  if  not  all,  that 
of  Captain  Joseph  Daniels,  marched  for  Boston  on  receiving 
news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington.  They  appear  to  have 
reached  Roxbury  on  the  same  day,  April  19,  and  rendered 
some  service  in  shutting  the  British  up  in  Boston.  The 
pay-rolls  of  this  company  are  preserved  at  the  State  House, 
but  grandfather's  name  is  not  on  them.  It  may  have  been 
upon  those  of  some  other  company.  If  there  were  three 
full  companies  at  that  time  in  Mendon,  they  must  have 
contained  many  men  of  no  greater  age  than  he.  However 
this  may  have  been,  the  muster-rolls  show  that  Ebenezer 
Taft  of  Mendon  served  in  four  different  campaigns.  First, 
in  1777,  for  two  months  in  Rhode  Island,  Captain  Isaac 
Martin's  Company,  Colonel  Joseph  Whitney's  Regiment. 
Second,  in  Captain  Peter  Penniman's  Company,  Colonel  Job 
Cushing's  Regiment,  in  the  same  year.  This  was  in  the 
Northern  army,  operating  against  Burgoyne,  where  he 
served  from  the  1 7th  of  August  to  the  2gth  of  November, 
during  those  desperate  battles  which  preceded  the  surrender 
of  the  invading  army  in  October,  1777.  Probably,  he  re- 
turned to  Boston  with  the  guard  of  the  prisoners,  where  his 
term  of  enlistment  expired.  Third,  in  the  following  year, 
1778,  he  served  for  six  weeks  in  Captain  Baker's  Company, 
Colonel  Haws's  Regiment,  in  Rhode  Island.  Fourth,  in 
July,  1780,  he  enlisted  in  Captain  Benjamin  Reed's  Com- 


8 

pany,  Colonel  Nathan  Tyler's  Regiment,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  John  Benson,  on  the  alarm  in  Rhode  Island. 
Thus  it  appears  from  these  brief  memoranda  of  the  pay- 
rolls that  he  was  in  the  service  of  his  country  portions  of 
the  time  during  the  years  1777,  1778,  and  1780.  What  his 
experiences  were,  or  precisely  where  his  service  was  ren- 
dered, I  am  unable  to  tell.  Asking  Uncle  Millens  Taft, 
his  son,  if  he  knew  anything  about  grandfather's  army  life, 
he  recalled  hearing  him  talk  with  some  of  his  old  comrades 
who  came  to  visit  him  and  live  over  again  the  scenes 
through  which  they  had  passed.  He  remembered  how 
they  laughed  and  joked  with  him  about  losing  his  fiddle 
when  in  New  York,  probably  on  the  campaign  against  Bur- 
goyne.  This  seems  to  show  that  he  may  have  had  some 
musical  talent,  and  carried  it  with  him  to  enliven  the 
monotony  of  camp  life.  Or,  which  is  the  more  probable, 
he  may  have  confiscated  it  as  contraband  of  war,  the  prop- 
erty of  some  Tory!  Uncle  Millens  also  remembered  the 
visits  of  Rev.  Preserved  Smith,  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Mendon,  who  preached  a  portion  of  the  time  in  this  meet- 
ing-house, then  belonging  to  the  South  Parish.  He  had 
been  a  soldier  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution.  After  the 
war  he  entered  Brown  University,  where  he  graduated  and 
then  prepared  for  the  ministry.  When  returning  to  his 
home  after  preaching  at  Chestnut  Hill,  he  sometimes 
stopped  for  supper,  when  he  and  grandfather  told  their  war 
stories  and  had  a  jovial  time  together.  Being  then  a  boy 
of  only  six  or  eight  years,  he  could  recall  little  of  what  was 
said. 

But,  before  going  farther,  let  us  take  a  look  at  Grand- 
mother Taft.  Her  maiden  name  was  Mary  Howard,  or, 
more  properly,  Hay  ward,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Elizabeth  (Thayer)  Howard,  a  descendant  in  the  fifth 
generation  of  Samuel  Hayward,  who  settled  in  Mendon 
about  1680,  on  the  place  known  as  the  Zolomon  Wood 
farm,  from  whom  most  of  the  Haywards  and  Howards  of 


this  vicinity  are  descended.  Why  the  name  Hay  ward 
should  have  been  changed  to  Howard  with  some  of  his 
descendants  it  is  difficult  to  understand.  But  certain  it 
is  that  Benjamin  Hayward,  the  youngest  son  of  Samuel, 
was  the  grandfather  of  Benjamin  Howard,  the  father  of 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Ebenezer  Taft.  She  was  born  Oct.  10, 
1760,  in  a  house  then  standing  on  the  old  Dam  Swamp 
road,  a  little  north  of  the  bridge  over  Hop  Brook,  on  the 
way  from  Blackstone  to  Mendon.  The  cellar-hole  of  the 
house  may  still  be  seen  in  the  woods  there,  but  the  house 
must  have  disappeared  nearly  a  century  ago.  I  well  re- 
member the  old  apple-trees  standing  near  the  pile  of  stones 
that  marked  the  site.  A  more  lonely  spot  can  hardly  be 
imagined.  Not  a  house  was  to  be  seen  from  it  in  grand- 
mother's childhood,  and  there  was  only  a  clearing  of  a  few 
acres  around  it.  A  rough,  winding,  hilly  road  ran  by  it,  on 
which  a  wagon  or  an  ox-team  or  even  a  solitary  horseman 
or  footman  was  seldom  seen,  with  the  Dam  Swamp  stretch- 
ing far  and  wide  in  the  rear  (a  name  said  to  have  been 
given  it  by  a  profane  man  once  lost  in  its  tangled  mazes), 
and  not  a  neighbor  for  a  long  distance  on  either  side. 
Such  was  the  lonely  place  where  Mary  Howard  was  born  in 
the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  George  III. 

Where  she  went  to  school,  or  that  she  ever  went  to 
school,  I  am  unable  to  say.  The  school  district  to  which 
she  belonged  was  that  now  known  as  Albeville;  and  the 
school  was  two  miles  away,  if  school  there  was  at  that 
time.  I  remember  hearing  her  tell  of  going  to  the  Sunday 
meeting  at  Mendon,  when  a  girl,  and  carrying  her  shoes  in 
her  hand  until  she  came  in  sight  of  the  meeting-house, 
when  she  sat  down  and  put  them  on ;  and  so  on  her  return 
home,  once  out  of  sight  of  the  church,  they  were  taken  off, 
and  carried,  showing  the  extreme  care  used  not  to  deface 
or  wear  out  those  costly  articles,  made  to  last  for  years.  I 
also  remember  hearing  her  describe  that  strange  phenome- 
non known  in  New  England  as  "the  dark  day."  It  was  in 


IO 

May,  1780,  when,  bringing  a  pail  of  water  from  the  spring, 
she  noticed  the  singular  appearance  of  the  peach  blossoms, 
unlike  anything  she  had  ever  seen  before.  The  darkness 
began  to  be  observed  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
increased  until  people  were  unable  to  continue  their  work 
or  find  their  way  along  the  roads  and  through  the  fields. 
Candles  were  lighted  in  the  house  to  see  to  cook  the  din- 
ner, the  birds  and  fowls  went  to  roost,  people  were  heard 
shouting  for  help  who  had  lost  their  way.  Through  the  day 
and  night  the  deep  darkness  continued.  Many  were  greatly 
alarmed,  believing  that  the  end  of  the  world  was  about  to 
come.  Such  were  some  of  the  reminiscences  of  the  dark 
day  which  grandmother  used  to  relate  while  the  children 
listened  in  breathless  awe  to  her  story. 

Ebenezer  Taft  and  Mary  Howard  were  married  March 
19,  1779,  he  being  then  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  she 
nineteen.  Where  they  began  housekeeping,  or  what  they 
had  to  begin  housekeeping  on,  we  know  not.  It  may  be 
fairly  questioned  if  they  possessed  between  them  the  value 
of  fifty  dollars.  But  they  were  young,  strong,  and  brave, 
inured  to  hardship,  used  to  manual  labor,  skilled  in  econ- 
omy, and  knew  how  to  make  the  most  of  their  means  and 
opportunities.  Patiently  they  toiled,  and  carefully  saved, 
to  make  themselves  a  home,  and  provide  it  with  such  com- 
forts as  were  within  their  reach.  No  doubt  it  was  a  very 
humble  home,  with  scanty  furnishings  for  the  table,  the 
wardrobe,  and  the  rooms ;  but  what  they  had  was  honestly 
earned  and  heartily  enjoyed.  Trusting  in  God  and  in  each 
other,  by  hard  work  and  frugal  habits  they  attained  a 
moderate  prosperity. 

For  several  years  grandfather  lived  on  rented  farms, —  for 
some  time,  I  believe,  on  that  known  as  the  Ouisset  place. 
The  cellar-hole  of  the  old  house  which  they  occupied  may 
be  seen  on  the  road  leading  into  the  Dam  Swamp  woods, 
a  little  west  of  the  Solomon  Pratt  house.  Afterward  he 
lived  on  the  Samuel  Verry  farm,  and  still  later  he  bought 


II 

the  Holbrook  farm,  where  many  years  of  their  life  were 
passed  and  where  several  of  their  children  were  born.  At 
that  time  this  was  a  large  and  productive  place,  where  a 
dairy  of  ten  cows  was  kept  and  much  grain  and  young  stock 
were  raised.  The  house  in  which  they  lived  is  still  standing, 
but  one  wonders  how  it  could  ever  have  sheltered  a  family 
of  such  ample  dimensions  as  grandfather's.  Subsequently 
this  farm  was  exchanged  for  the  Darling  place  adjoining  it, 
now  the  Blackstone  town  farm.  At  this  time  the  children 
had  grown  up,  and  some  had  gone  from  the  paternal  hive  to 
make  homes  of  their  own.  Here  the  remaining  years  of 
grandfather's  life  were  passed;  and  here  he  died,  Oct.  3, 
1836,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 

Grandmother  survived  him  nearly  twelve  years,  dying  at 
the  home  of  her  son,  Uncle  Millens,  in  Blackstone,  Aug. 
15,  1848.  They  lived  together  fifty-seven  years,  and  were 
gathered  to  their  fathers  in  a  good  old  age,  respected  by 
their  neighbors  and  friends  for  simplicity,  uprightness,  and 
fidelity  of  character.  We,  their  descendants,  in  the  third, 
fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  generations,  gladly  recall  their  ster- 
ling virtues  and  honor  their  memory. 

Let  us  recall  some  of  the  stern  realities  encountered  in 
their  married  life.  As  we  have  seen,  they  began  with  but 
a  small  portion  of  worldly  goods.  Twelve  children  were 
born  to  them  in  the  first  twenty-five  years.  During  this 
time  they  lived  mainly  on  rented  farms,  but  had  managed 
so  prudently  as  to  secure  a  home  of  their  own  and  support 
their  large  and  steadily  increasing  family.  Probably  some 
indebtedness  remained  upon  it;  but  the  amount  was  not 
large,  and  they  were  decreasing  it  from  year  to  year. 
Imagine  what  the  annual  expenditure  must  have  been  for 
food,  clothing,  and  shoeing  in  such  a  family!  Much  of  the 
clothing  was  manufactured  in  the  house  from  flax  and  wool 
raised  on  the  farm,  spun,  wove,  dyed,  and  made  into  gar- 
ments largely  by  grandmother's  tireless  hands.  Nearly 
everything  consumed  by  the  family  came  from  the  fields 


12 

and  flocks  of  the  farm.  The  shoes  were  made  in  the  house 
at  the  annual  visit  of  the  travelling  cobbler.  The  little 
money  income  came  from  the  butter  and  cheese  of  the  dairy 
and  the  beef  and  pork  raised  on  the  farm  and  transported  to 
Boston  or  Providence  by  team  to  market.  Think  of  the 
burdens  which  grandmother  must  have  borne  from  early 
morning  till  late  at  night,  year  after  year  through  half  a 
century!  the  wise  planning  and  hard  working  outdoors  and 
indoors  to  get  the  utmost  from  the  little  they  had  and  make 
both  ends  meet,  and  with  seven  daughters  to  be  married ! 
Their  way  must  have  been  that  of  the  old  story :  — 

"  Said  the  husband  to  his  wife  one  day, 

'  We  have  scarce  enough  to  eat ; 
And,  if  things  go  on  in  this  bad  way, 

We  can't  make  both  ends  meet.' 
The  wife  replied,  in  words  discreet, 

'  We  are  not  so  badly  fed. 
If  we  can't  make  but  one  end  meat, 

We'll  make  the  other  end  bread.' " 

But  there  seems  to  have  been  no  difficulty  in  marrying 
off  those  daughters,  girls  well  prepared  for  helpmeets  to 
men  having  their  way  to  make  in  the  world,  so  efficient  in 
ways  to  render  a  family  comfortable  and  promote  a  hus- 
band's prosperity. 

I  am  disposed  to  regard  grandmother  as  "the  main  spoke 
in  the  wheel  "  of  that  large  family,  with  its  endless  cares 
and  perplexities.  She  was  a  firm,  resolute,  patient,  care- 
taking  woman,  facing  her  duties  bravely,  without  murmur- 
ing, accepting  cheerfully  the  conditions  of  her  lot,  and 
striving  to  make  the  best  of  it.  She  had  a  genius  for  turn- 
ing off  work  easily  and  rapidly,  had  great  physical  vigor 
and  power  of  endurance,  and  a  genial  and  happy  spirit. 
Grandfather  was  a  man  who  had  speculation  in  his  eye,  and 
was  always  looking  forward  to  a  more  prosperous  time  com- 
ing. He  believed  that  a  vast  material  development  for  the 
country  was  close  at  hand,  with  an  immense  advance  in  the 


value  of  land.  Accordingly,  he  trimmed  his  sails  to  catch 
the  breeze  that  was  to  bear  him  on  to  golden  fortunes.  He 
bought  large  tracts  of  land,  and  held  them  for  the  expected 
rise,  borrowing  money  to  meet  his  purchases.  Among  his 
papers,  now  yellow  and  crumpled  with  age,  are  notes  and 
mortgages,  all  duly  paid,  to  Boston  and  Worcester  banks, 
to  Harvard  College,  and  to  noted  money-lenders  of  his  day. 
It  is  said  that  he  never  failed  to  meet  an  obligation  punct- 
ually, when  it  became  due.  He  had  a  high  sense  of  honor, 
and  his  credit  was  of  the  best  in  business  affairs.  His 
word  was  always  kept  to  the  letter.  Men  regarded  it  "as 
good  as  his  bond,"  and  hence  he  had  no  difficulty  in  bor- 
rowing money  whenever  it  was  to  be  had.  Surely,  it  was 
an  honorable  reputation ;  but  it  involved  dangerous  tempta- 
tions. Thus  he  went  on  buying  and  borrowing  for  years, 
confidently  expecting  the  rising  tide  that  was  to  bring  a 
great  prosperity.  Could  he  have  held  on  until  the  build- 
ing up  of  these  large  villages  along  the  valley  of  the  Black- 
stone,  his  timber  and  wood  might  have  made  him  a  rich 
man.  But  he  was  in  advance  of  the  times;  and  so  his 
golden  dreams  came  to  naught,  though  he  maintained  his 
credit  to  the  last,  and  paid  dollar  for  dollar.  A  man  of 
large  hopefulness,  forward-looking,  enterprising  and  ambi- 
tious, yet  honest  and  faithful  in  his  relations  with  his  fel- 
low-men. He  was  of  a  nervous  temperament,  of  a  slender 
frame,  quick  in  motion,  active,  reserved  and  stern  in  man- 
ner, thoughtful  and  grave.  Subject  to  attacks  of  severe 
sickness,  he  would  be  suffering  acute  pain  one  hour,  and 
be  up  and  about  his  business  the  next,  —  apparently  near 
to  death  to-day,  but  wide  awake  and  busy  to-morrow,  al- 
ways pressing  on  toward  some  better  thing  to  come.  Is  it 
not  surprising  that  in  circumstances  so  adverse,  a  lot  so 
cramped  and  lowly,  he  should  have  borne  himself  so  well, 
won  so  good  a  name,  and  left  so  bright  a  memory?  No 
doubt  it  was  largely  due  to  that  brave,  patient,  hard-work- 
ing wife,  who  conducted  household  affairs  so  wisely,  saved 


'4 

every  cent  that  could  be  saved  to  sustain  his  credit  with  the 
money-lenders,  and  strengthened  him  in  the  prosecution  of 
his  schemes.  Well  may  we  say  of  her  in  the  words  of  the 
Scriptures :  "  The  heart  of  her  husband  trusteth  in  her. 
She  doeth  him  good  all  the  days  of  her  life,  and  her  chil- 
dren rise  up  and  call  her  blessed."  In  the  latter  years  of 
his  life  grandfather  gave  up  his  affairs  to  his  youngest  son, 
Uncle  Millens,  and  lived  in  quiet  and  comfort  in  a  portion 
of  the  house  on  the  Darling  place.  He  was  able  to  do 
little  work,  being  subject  to  frequent  and  distressing  sick- 
ness. Near  the  close  of  life  he  received  a  pension  for 
his  service  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  which  was  con- 
tinued to  grandmother  after  his  death.  When  he  had  gone, 
it  was  thought  she  would  give  up  housekeeping  and  live 
with  uncle;  but  this  she  was  unwilling  to  do.  "I  mean  to 
have  a  table  of  my  own,"  she  used  to  say,  "to  which  I  can 
welcome  my  children  and  grandchildren";  and  right  hearty 
was  the  welcome  which  she  gave  them,  and  bright  and 
cheery  was  her  talk.  When  above  eighty  years  of  age,  she 
rode  in  an  open  wagon  with  her  son  to  visit  relatives  in 
New  Hampshire,  a  journey  of  two  hundred  miles,  which 
she  bore  without  serious  fatigue.  I  well  remember  her 
visits  to  our  home,  her  interest  in  her  grandchildren  and  in 
all  that  was  going  on  in  society.  Below  medium  height, 
robust  in  form,  of  fair  complexion  and  pleasant  voice,  she 
was  the  picture  of  cheerfulness,  good  nature,  and  content- 
ment. Hers  was  a  serene  and  sunny  old  age,  after  the 
heavy  burdens  of  earlier  years  were  laid  down;  and  she 
passed  on  to  join  the  great  company  of  her  relatives  and 
friends  in  hope  and  peace. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  notice  briefly  the  five  sons  and  seven 
daughters  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary  Taft.  We  may  be  certain 
that  they  were  not  allowed  to  grow  up  without  knowing  how 
to  earn  an  honest  living,  the  indispensable  part  of  an  edu- 
cation. No  drones  were  permitted  in  that  busy  hive.  The 
boys  were  early  trained  to  do  the  work  of  the  farm.  Very 


15 

largely,  I  think,  it  was  laid  upon  their  young  shoulders. 
The  ploughing  and  planting,  the  haying  and  reaping,  the 
threshing  and  harvesting,  the  care  of  cattle,  the  cutting  of 
timber  and  wood, —  everything  connected  with  farm  work 
was  required  of  them  as  soon  as  they  were  able  to  do  it. 
The  girls  were  thoroughly  instructed  and  trained  in  all  the 
mysteries  of  cooking  and  dairying,  spinning  and  weaving, 
the  making  of  their  own  and  their  brothers'  clothes,  the 
care  of  the  sick  and  the  tending  of  babies, —  in  short,  every- 
thing required  of  efficient  housekeepers,  wives,  and  mothers. 
And,  lest  there  should  be  any  lack  of  work  in  the  home, 
before  they  were  old  enough  to  wash  and  scrub  and  sew,  they 
were  taught  to  braid  straw,  with  a  fixed  number  of  yards  per 
day  as  their  stint.  I  well  remember  hearing  my  mother  tell 
of  riding  alone  on  horseback  from  their  house  to  the  Penni- 
man  store  in  South  Milford,  carrying  the  braid  of  the  family 
and  exchanging  it  there  for  such  articles  as  the  household 
required.  She  went  by  the  lonely  road  through  the  Dam 
Swamp  woods,  near  an  Indian  wigwam  and  over  the  Inman 
Hill,  passing  scarcely  a  house  on  the  way, —  a  journey  of 
five  or  six  miles, —  to  dispose  of  straw  braid  at  fifty  or  sev- 
enty-five cents  a  hundred  yards,  and  be  paid  in  goods  on 
which  the  storekeeper  doubtless  made  a  profit  of  one  hun- 
dred per  cent,  or  more.  By  such  work,  on  such  pay,  the 
girls  bought  their  Sunday  dresses  and  bonnets,  their  wed- 
ding finery,  and  their  "setting  out"  for  housekeeping. 

Enos,  the  oldest  of  these  children,  was  born  Dec.  8, 
1779,  and  died  Dec.  29,  1813,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
four.  Often  have  I  heard  the  pathetic  story  of  his  sickness 
and  death.  He  was  living  with  his  wife  and  five  young 
children  on  the  place  known  as  the  Scammel  Aldrich  farm; 
and  in  his  last  sickness,  feeling  that  his  life  was  fast  ebbing 
away,  he  wanted  to  be  taken  to  his  father's  house  to  die. 
If  only  he  could  be  carried  back  to  the  old  home,  he  would 
die  in  peace.  Unable  to  bear  the  jolting  of  a  wagon,  a 
litter  was  prepared;  and  he  was  borne  to  his  childhood's 


home,  a  distance  of  four  miles,  and  there  breathed  his  last, 
4in  the  loving  care  of  his  mother.  The  circumstances  of 
his  death,  the  five  little  children  left  to  the  care  of  the 
widowed  mother  with  little  means  of  support,  the  funeral 
when  the  minister  preached  from  the  text,  "  Set  thy  house 
in  order,  for  thou  shalt  surely  die,"  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion upon  the  family.  The  youngest  of  his  brothers,  Uncle 
Milieus,  then  a  lad  of  eight  years,  repeated  the  text  to  me 
just  before  his  own  death,  seventy-five  years  afterwards. 
Uncle  Enos's  four  sons,  James,  Elias,  Nelson,  and  Elijah, 
gre'w  up  to  be  worthy  and  useful  men.  The  first  three  still 
survive  in  a  good  old  age.  His  daughter,  Sylvia,  the  wife 
of  Jarvis  Cook,  died  after  four  years  of  married  life.  The 
descendants  of  Enos  Taft,  the  living  and  the  dead,  includ- 
ing the  first,  second,  third,  and  fourth  generations,  number 
seventy-five,  being  more  numerous  than  those  of  any  other 
of  grandfather's  children. 

Betsy,  the  eldest  daughter,  was  born  June  n,  1781, 
and  died  Sept.  21,  1814,  which  marks  the  date  of  "the 
great  blow,"  as  it  used  to  be  called:  we  should  call 
it  the  great  cyclone.  Some  of  the  traces  of  it  may  be 
seen  in  this  vicinity  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  seventy- 
five  years.  Passing  a  certain  house,  not  far  from  this 
place,  on  one  occasion  with  my  mother,  she  said,  "Here 
my  sister  Betsy  died ;  and  her  body  lay  here  during  that 
awful  gale,  when  we  feared  the  house  might  be  blown  away 
at  any  moment."  She  married  Ezra  Allen,  who,  it  is  sup- 
posed, was  lost  at  sea,  leaving  her  with  three  young  children, 
Ezra,  Willis,  and  Lucinda.  Aunt  Betsy  supported  her  little 
family  by  braiding  straw,  with  such  assistance  as  her  father 
and  friends  gave  her;  but  the  battle  of  life  was  too  hard  for 
her  strength,  and  after  a  few  years  she  died,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three  years.  The  daughter  passed  away  before  her 
mother,  and  the  sons  were  left  to  make  their  way  as  best 
they  could  in  the  world.  Ezra,  through  a  hard  and  trying 
experience,  became  a  man  of  great  force  and  persistence  of 


17 

character.  He  was  a  successful  manufacturer  in  Hadley 
for  many  years,  and  afterward  a  merchant  in  Boston,  where 
he  died  in  1881.  Several  of  his  children  and  grandchil- 
dren are  living  in  the  city  and  in  the  vicinity.  Willis, 
when  last  heard  of,  was  living  in  Detroit.  The  descend- 
ants of  Betsy  Taft  Allen  number  thirty-two. 

Putnam,  the  third  child,  was  born  Aug.  5,  1783,  and  died 
February,  1810,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven.  He  was  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Mendon,  and  won  distinc- 
tion in  that  profession.  Long  after  his  death  he  was 
remembered  by  those  who  had  been  his  pupils  with  respect 
and  affection.  He  was  married,  and  left  one  child,  the  late 
Putnam  W.  Taft  of  Worcester,  a  man  of  note  in  political 
and  social  life.  He  had  no  children,  and  consequently  this 
line  became  extinct  at  his  death.  Uncle  Putnam's  widow 
married  for  a  second  husband  Ephraim  Lee  of  Mendon, 
and  the  late  Mrs.  Susan  (Lee)  Huston  of  Providence  was 
their  daughter.  Out  of  her  share  in  the  estate  of  her  half- 
brother,  she  founded  the  Taft  Public  Library  in  Mendon, 
in  fulfilment  of  his  expressed  purpose  to  do  something  of 
the  kind  for  the  benefit  of  his  native  town.  How  it  would 
have  cheered  the  last  days  of  Uncle  Putnam,  could  he  have 
known  that  the  boy  he  was  leaving  behind  would  be  the 
means  of  establishing  an  institution  of  such  usefulness,  and 
perpetuating  his  name  to  remote  generations! 

Aunt  Polly  comes  next  in  the  list  of  children,  born  June 
20,  1785,  and  died  August,  1865,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  How  well  her  strong,  sweet  face,  her  gentle  voice, 
her  kind,  motherly  ways  are  remembered  by  all  her  nephews 
and  nieces!  She  married  Elijah  Hay  wood  of  Mendon.  Two 
sons,  Rufus  and  Enos,  and  one  daughter,  Betsy,  were  born 
to  them.  Rufus  lived  and  died  in  this  town,  leaving  two 
children.  He  was  a  man  of  ability  and  worth,  serving  the 
town  in  many  of  its  offices,  and  at  one  time  a  representa- 
tive in  the  legislature  of  the  State.  Enos,  now  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age,  lives  in  Newport,  where  his  children 


iS 

and  grandchildren  also  reside.  The  daughter  married 
Darius  Bennett,  for  many  years  the  postmaster  of  Black- 
stone,  but  recently  deceased.  They  had  no  children. 
Aunt  Polly's  descendants,  of  whom  there  are  four  genera- 
tions, numbered  thirty-one. 

Sally  Taft,  grandfather's  fifth  child,  was  born  Oct.  21, 
1788,  and  died  March,  1855,  in  her  sixty-seventh  year. 
She  married  Jared  Benson,  Esq.,  who  was  born  and  always 
lived  near  this  spot,  the  grandson,  I  think,  of  Benoni  Ben- 
son, the  first  settler  of  Chestnut  Hill.  Uncle  Jared  is  inti- 
mately associated  in  my  mind  with  this  meeting-house. 
The  first  time  I  came  here  was  at  the  funeral  of  my  eldest 
brother,  Esbon,  a  lad  of  thirteen,  drowned  while  bathing  in 
Mendon  Pond,  fifty-seven  years  ago  on  the  6th  of  last  July. 
Uncle  Benson's  erect  and  stalwart  form  and  sympathetic 
face  much  impressed  me  as  he  received  the  sorrowing  train 
here  at  the  door  of  the  house,  and  gave  us  a  cup  of  cold 
water  in  the  grateful  shade.  A  sober,  thoughtful,  kindly 
man,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  good  business  manager,  he 
was  much  intrusted  with  town  affairs,  moderator  of  town 
meetings,  selectman,  representative  to  the  General  Court, 
executor  of  wills  and  guardian  of  orphan  children.  He 
had  great  interest  in  church  music,  and  often  led  the 
singing  here  with  his  bass-viol,  making  the  old  house  re- 
sound with  the  praises  of  the  Lord.  In  his  home,  a  genial, 
story-telling  man,  fond  of  merry  jokes  and  laughter,  and 
holding  in  memory  a  fund  of  interesting  incidents  and  tra- 
ditions. Four  sons  were  born  to  them.  The  two  elder,  Sul- 
livan and  Putnam,  young  men  of  remarkable  promise,  died 
in  early  manhood,  when  just  beginning  to  fulfil  the  high 
expectations  of  their  friends.  Jared  soon  after  his  marriage 
removed  to  Minnesota,  then  a  sparsely  settled  State,  and 
became  one  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  Anoka,  a  flourishing 
town  about  thirty  miles  north  of  St.  Paul.  He  has  been 
prominent  in  State  and  national  politics,  and  has  filled 
many  responsible  positions  in  the  gift  of  the  people,  besides 


that  of  speaker  of  the  house  in  the  State  legislature. 
Sylvanus  was  a  man  of  active  and  energetic  spirit  in  busi- 
ness and  in  town  affairs,  postmaster  of  Blackstone,  select- 
man during  the  war,  and  most  active  in  filling  the  town's 
quota  of  soldiers.  He  removed  to  Illinois  in  the  last  years 
of  his  life,  where  he  died,  leaving  a  widow  and  several  chil- 
dren, one  by  his  second  marriage,  now  also  married  and 
living  in  Portland,  Me.  The  descendants  of  Aunt  Sally 
number  twenty. 

Chloe  Taft  was  born  Nov.  7,  1790,  and  died  May  14, 
1824,  in  her  thirty-fourth  year.  She  married  Nahor 
Fletcher,  and  became  the  mother  of  seven  children.  Two 
died  in  infancy;  and  five  sons  grew  up  to  manhood,  three  of 
whom  are  still  living.  Her  husband  was  a  distant  cousin; 
but  none  of  her  children,  so  far  as  I  know,  were  under- 
witted,  as  cousins'  children  are  sometimes  said  to  be. 
She  died  from  injuries  received  in  putting  out  a  fire 
accidentally  started  by  one  of  the  children  in  the  cel- 
lar of  the  house.  They  were  all  young  when  she  passed 
away,  one  a  mere  infant,  leaving  the  large  brood  to  the 
uncertain  care  of  those  who  could  but  poorly  fill  the  place 
of  a  devoted  mother.  And  yet,  under  the  hardships  and 
privations  of  their  lot,  those  five  sons  grew  up  to  be  indus- 
trious, temperate,  frugal,  and  worthy  men,  successful  above 
most  of  us  in  business  affairs,  and  filling  honorable  places 
in  society.  Abraham,  William,  Harris,  Charles,  and  Aus- 
tin Fletcher  are  names  of  cousins  endeared  to  us  all. 
Aunt  Chloe's  descendants  reach  the  goodly  number  of 
thirty. 

Deborah  Taft,  born  Feb.  20,  1792,  died  unmarried  Feb- 
ruary, 1814,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years. 

Leonard,  the  third  son,  was  born  on  the  eighteenth  anni- 
versary of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  June  17,  1794,  and  died 
in  his  seventy-ninth  year,  Oct.  25,  1872.  How  well  we 
recall  his  sturdy  form,  his  massive  features,  his  grave  man- 
ner, his  stern  voice,  and  yet  genial  and  jovial  spirit  when 


2O 

in  his  brightest  mood!  It  was  always  pleasant  to  visit  his 
home,  and  right  merry  were  the  cousin-gatherings  there  at 
Thanksgiving  and  Old  Election.  One  of  "the  gentlest  of 
gentle  womankind,"  yet  one  of  the  most  thoughtful  and 
efficient  of  wives  and  mothers,  presided  over  it,  and  de- 
lighted in  the  young  people's  frolic  and  fun.  No  sweeter, 
kindlier  face  haunts  the  chambers  of  memory  than  Aunt 
Martha's.  No  more  bountiful  and  appetizing  table  than 
hers  made  glad  our  youthful  hearts.  No  lot  in  all  the 
circle  of  our  kindred  was  lighted  up  by  a  more  patient, 
loving,  Christian  spirit  than  hers.  A  life  of  tireless  in- 
dustry, of  unceasing  cares,  of  self-denying  deeds,  was  made 
bright  and  happy  by  the  hope  and  trust  which  filled  her 
heart.  Of  that  large  band  of  brothers  and  sisters,  four  are 
with  us  here  to-day;  but  the  others,  Eben,  Hannah,  and 
Leonard,  have  passed  on.  To  my  youthful  fancy,  Cousin 
Hannah  was  the  brightest  and  most  beautiful  of  girls. 
Married,  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen,  to  a  worthy  man,  she 
seemed  to  have  a  bright  future  opening  before  her;  but  it 
was  soon  closed  on  earth  by  death.  Two  sons  were  left  in 
their  tender  years.  No  braver  soldier  came  out  of  the  great 
conflict  which  saved  the  Union,  scarred  and  crippled  for 
life,  than  the  late  Lieutenant  Edwin  C.  Gaskill,  of  the 
Veteran  Corps  of  the  United  States  army,  her  eldest  son. 
Nor  must  I  forget  to  speak  of  Cousin  Leonard,  often  my 
companion,  and  always  my  faithful  friend,  one  of  the  pur- 
est and  noblest  souls  I  have  ever  known :  — 

"  He,  the  young  and  true,  who  cherished 

Earnest  longings  for  the  strife, 

By  the  roadside  fell  and  perished, 

Weary  with  the  march  of  life." 

It  ill  becomes  this  occasion  to  speak  much  of  the  living, 
but  surely  it  is  fitting  that  we  should  remember  the  dead. 
No  brighter  or  more  promising  young  life  was  sacrificed  on 
the  altar  of  the  Union  and  of  freedom  than  that  of  Anthon 


21 

C.  Taft,  the  only  son  of  Cousin  Putnam  and  the  grandson 
of  Uncle  Leonard  and  Aunt  Martha.  His  loss  at  the  be- 
ginning of  his  service  in  the  army  was  a  sore  grief  to  many 
friends  in  whose  hearts  his  memory  is  very  precious.  The 
descendants  in  this  line  number  fifty.  Among  them  there 
has  been  a  worthy  ambition  for  learning  and  usefulness. 
Probably  they  have  more  men  and  women  well  trained  in 
the  school  and  college,  and  doing  good  service  in  various 
ways,  than  any  other  of  our  families. 

Uncle  Ellis  Taft,  born  May  20,  1796,  died  Aug.  15, 
1851,  in  his  fifty-sixth  year,  was  the  only  one  in  this  long 
list  who  had  no  children.  His  wife,  Asenath  Boyden,  or 
"Aunt  Seney,"  as  we  used  to  call  her,  was  a  woman  of 
most  lovable  qualities,  always  cheerful,  patient,  and  con- 
tented. No  more  happy  couple  was  to  be  seen  in  our 
circle  of  kindred  than  they.  None  of  my  uncles  were  so 
attractive  to  me  as  Uncle  Ellis.  He  kept  his  youthful 
spirits  as  long  as  he  lived,  entered  into  a  boy's  feelings 
and  plans  with  peculiar  zest,  listening  to  his  talk  and  tell- 
ing him  his  best  stories.  How  hard  he  worked  on  that 
rocky  farm,  how  hopefully  he  planned,  to  stem  the  tide 
of  adverse  fortune  and  secure  comfort  and  competence! 
Though  it  seemed  to  be  always  setting  against  him,  the 
fact  never  soured  his  spirit  or  long  chilled  his  good  nature. 
And  the  dear  soul  that  walked  so  lovingly  by  his  side, 
clinging  to  him  all  the  closer  in  the  dark  and  stormy  hours, 
until  she  closed  his  eyes  in  death,  how  calm  and  peaceful 
were  her  closing  years,  prolonged  to  almost  a  century! 
Humble  and  poor  in  worldly  state,  but,  oh,  how  rich  in  the 
immortal  treasures  of  faith,  love,  and  goodness! 

Phila  Taft,  my  mother,  was  born  Jan.  20,  1799,  and  died 
Feb.  17,  1885,  having  just  entered  upon  her  eighty-seventh 
year.  She  was  married  to  Jason  Staples  in  August,  1819; 
and  seven  children  were  born  to  them,  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  five  lived  to  adult  years.  Of  her  three 
sons  who  lived  to  manhood,  all  were  in  the  Union  army, 


22 

two  as  chaplains.  Henry,  the  youngest,  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  First  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  and  was  promoted  to 
a  lieutenancy  in  the  regiment  and  served  three  years,  the 
full  term  of  his  enlistment.  He  saw  hard  and  trying  ser- 
vice with  General  Sherman's  army  in  the  advance  from 
Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  and  in  the  desperate  battles  by 
which  that  rebel  stronghold  was  captured.  Though  appar- 
ently in  sound  health  when  discharged  from  the  service 
and  for  some  years  afterward,  the  effects  of  the  exposure 
and  hardship  of  his  army  life  ultimately  undermined  his 
splendid  constitution  and  brought  on  paralysis,  from  which 
he  died  after  a  long  and  distressing  sickness.  Of  the 
other  brother,  prostrated  by  long  and  severe  sickness  while 
with  his  regiment,  the  Sixth  Wisconsin,  in  Virginia,  from 
which  he  never  recovered,  I  may  also  be  permitted  to  speak. 
He  survived  his  brief  term  of  service  for  three  years,  much 
of  the  time  in  pain  and  feebleness,  dying  in  his  early 
manhood,  while  pastor  of  the  Second  Unitarian  Church  in 
Brooklyn,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three.  Surely,  it  is  no  fond 
partiality  that  leads  me  to  claim  for  him  a  remarkably 
brilliant  mind,  a  noble  ambition  for  learning  and  for  use- 
fulness, and  a  pure  and  lofty  spirit;  for  such  is  the  judg- 
ment often  passed  upon  him  by  those  best  able  to  form  a 
just  opinion  of  his  ability  and  character.  It  has  been  a 
great  surprise  and  pleasure  to  learn,  from  those  who  came 
within  the  sphere  of  his  influence,  how  strong,  permanent, 
and  far-reaching  that  influence  has  been.  Of  the  many 
able  and  useful  men  among  the  descendants  of  Ebenezer 
and  Mary  Taft,  their  grandson,  Nahor  Augustus  Staples, 
stands  in  the  first  rank.  And  a  word  of  fond  remembrance 
you  will  allow  me  to  say  of  the  sister  who  passed  on  many 
years  since,  leaving  a  large  and  loving  circle  of  children 
and  friends.  The  sprightly  and  beautiful  girl,  full  of  hope 
and  gladness,  the  sunny-hearted,  tender,  sympathetic 
woman,  the  devoted  wife  and  mother,  caring  for  every  one 
in  the  household  but  herself,  cheerfully  bearing  great  bur- 


23 

dens  of  work  and  responsibility  for  the  happiness  of  others, 
—  such  was  Caroline  (Staples)  Wood  as  I  think  of  her  now, 
calling  to  mind  how  sweetly  and  bravely  she  lived,  toiled, 
and  died:  — 

"  Though  oft  depressed  and  lonely, 

All  my  fears  are  laid  aside, 
If  I  but  remember  only, 

Such  as  these  have  lived  and  died." 

The  descendants  of  Jason  and  Phila  Taft  Staples  number 
forty-six. 

There  remain  two  others,  of  whom  I  gladly  speak,  the 
youngest  of  grandfather's  great  family,  Aunt  Nancy  and 
Uncle  Millens,  peculiarly  dear  to  each  other,  because,  being 
the  youngest,  they  grew  up  together. 

Nancy  Taft  was  born  Aug.  14,  1801,  and  died  Jan.  14, 
1849,  in  her  forty-eighth  year.  She  married  Elisha  Hay- 
ward,  and  was  the  mother  of  eight  children.  I  have  heard 
others  say  that  a  more  bright  and  beautiful  group  was  not 
to  be  found  among  us.  Two  lovely  girls,  Sarah  and  Deb- 
orah, were  cut  off  in  the  bloom  of  youth,  when  life  was 
just  opening  into  womanhood.  Two  worthy  and  noble 
young  men,  Warren  and  Sylvester,  were  taken  in  the  hope 
and  promise  of  early  manhood.  Nor  can  we  forget  the 
eldest  daughter,  Adeline  (Hay ward)  Benson,  called  away 
in  her  twenty-fifth  year,  leaving  a  fond  husband  and  infant 
son.  The  shafts  of  death  fell  thick  and  fast  in  that  family, 
making  wide  gaps  among  them.  The  mother  soon  fol- 
lowed her  daughters.  I  shall  never  forget  standing  at  her 
bedside  when  she  was  passing  into  the  great  shadow,  and 
hearing  her  speak  of  the  beatific  visions  opening  before  her- 
wondering  soul.  The  scenes  of  earth  were  fast  fading 
away,  and  the  more  glorious  scenes  of  the  immortal  world 
rose  clear  and  beautiful  upon  the  eyes  of  the  spirit.  With 
the  utmost  confidence,  she  spoke  of  beholding  her  dear 
children  at  that  moment  waiting  for  her  on  the  other  side 
and  beckoning  her  to  come.  Nor  can  I  find  it  in  my  mind 


24 

to  doubt  the  reality  of  her  vision.  In  the  calmest  and 
clearest  language,  she  described  what  she  saw.  That 
world  which  is  invisible  to  our  dull  eyes  was  being  silently 
unveiled  to  hers,  and  in  her  radiant  face  we  beheld  the 
light  of  the  eternal  morning  just  beginning  to  dawn. 
Uncle  Elisha  survived  her  a  few  years,  when  he  joined  the 
larger  family  beyond  the  grave.  Eighteen  descendants  are 
to  be  counted  in  this  line. 

And  now  the  last  to  come  and  the  longest  to  stay  con- 
cludes this  record  of  grandfather's  and  grandmother's  chil- 
dren. Millens  Taft  was  born  Jan.  25,  1804,  and  died  June 
6,  1890,  in  his  eighty-seventh  year.  It  is  pleasant  to 
recall  the  sweet  face  of  his  wife,  Olive  (Comstock)  Taft. 
She  had  the  same  gentle,  patient,  loving  spirit  as  her  sis- 
ter, Uncle  Leonard  's  wife,  one  of  the  most  cheerful  and 
unselfish  beings  I  have  ever  known.  Returning  from  the 
old  Quaker  burying-ground  where  we  had  laid  her  body 
beside  those  of  her  children  who  had  gone  before,  her  hus- 
band said  to  me,  "  You  could  not  speak  too  highly  of  her 
worth." 

Uncle  Millens  was  respected  wherever  known  for  integ- 
rity and  purity  of  character,  and  implicitly  trusted.  At 
different  times  he  filled  almost  every  office  in  the  gift  of 
the  people  of  this  town,  and  he  rendered  much  service  to 
widows  and  orphans  in  the  settlement  of  estates  and  the 
care  of  their  property.  He  stood  high  in  the  community 
for  sound  judgment  in  business  affairs,  and  was  fairly  suc- 
cessful in  the  management  of  his  various  enterprises.  A 
genial,  open-hearted,  hospitable  man,  always  glad  to  wel- 
come us  to  his  home,  thoughtful  and  kind  toward  those  of 
his  kindred  needing  assistance  in  the  struggle  of  life,  he 
has  left  a  memory  that  is  fondly  cherished  in  many  hearts. 
His  eldest  son,  Cousin  Millens,  was  taken  away  in  the 
prime  of  his  manhood,  leaving  a  large  family  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  an  affectionate  husband  and  father.  Eliza  was  also 
taken  in  her  opening  womanhood,  and  is  remembered 


25 

among  us  as  a  bright  and  promising  girl.  Of  Cousin  Olive 
(Taft)  Wood,  the  youngest  of  this  flock,  it  only  needs  that 
I  should  speak  her  name,  so  fresh  and  sweet  is  her  memory 
here.  She  was  truly  a  noble  woman,  with  a  genius  for 
loving  and  being  loved  that  won  hosts  of  friends  among  all 
classes  of  people  wherever  she  lived.  The  descendants  of 
Uncle  Millens  and  Aunt  Olive  number  thirty-seven. 

In  summing  up  this  long  record,  no  doubt  imperfect  in 
some  particulars,  I  have  counted  three  hundred  and  forty- 
one  children,  grandchildren,  great-grandchildren,  and  great- 
great-grandchildren  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary  Taft, —  a  vast 
multitude,  indeed, —  in  these  four  generations  from  the  par- 
ent stock,  among  whom  many  of  the  dead  and  of  the  living 
may  be  named  who  have  acquitted  themselves  well  in  the 
battle  of  life  and  done  good  service  for  their  country  and 
mankind. 

It  may  be  thought  that  the  picture  here  drawn  is  too 
brightly  colored;  that  the  virtues  of  our  ancestors  and 
kindred  have  been  presented  in  too  favorable  a  light,  while 
their  faults  and  failings  have  been  ignored.  But  it  could 
not  well  be  otherwise.  The  bright  and  pleasant  things  in 
the  lives  of  our  friends  we  love  to  recall  and  remember: 
the  disagreeable  and  unfortunate  things  we  quickly  forget, 
and  the  characters  of  those  who  have  gone  appear  more 
perfect  to  us  after  Death  has  set  his  seal  upon  them.  Be- 
sides, this  picture  is  not  drawn  for  cold  and  critical  eyes, 
but  for  children  and  friends  whose  hearts  are  warm  with 
pleasant  memories  of  the  departed  whom  they  hope  to  meet 
and  dwell  with  in  the  immortal  world. 

But,  making  due  allowance  for  the  partiality  of  friend- 
ship and  love,  still  it  may  fairly  be  claimed  that  these 
kindred  of  ours  are  worthy  of  grateful  remembrance;  and 
if  we,  with  our  larger  knowledge  and  brighter  lot,  acquit 
ourselves  as  faithfully,  it  will  be  well  for  us  and  those  who 
shall  fill  our  places  in  the  generations  to  come. 


26 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  address  the  chairman  called 
upon  his  brother,  Enos  N.  Taft,  Esq.,  of  New  York  City, 
who,  with  deep  emotion,  spoke  of  the  pleasure  which  this 
meeting  gave  him,  and  the  great  satisfaction  he  had  in 
renewing  his  acquaintance  with  so  many  of  his  kindred. 
He  recalled  cheering  memories  of  his  uncles,  aunts,  and 
cousins  who  have  passed  on,  and  expressed  the  hope  that 
the  address  which  gathered  up  so  much  information  regard- 
ing our  families  might  be  printed,  and  so  preserved  for  our 
descendants.  The  chairman  then  called  upon  Austin  B. 
Fletcher,  Esq.,  also  of  New  York  City,  who  spoke  in  ear- 
nest and  feeling  language  of  the  value  of  such  gatherings  in 
keeping  alive  an  interest  in  each  other's  welfare  and  pre- 
serving the  memory  of  many  worthy  lives.  He  hoped  that 
the  address  would  be  printed  and  a  permanent  organization 
be  formed  to  hold  annual  meetings  in  this  place. 

An  adjournment  was  then  made  to  the  spacious  tent  in 
the  yard  adjoining  the  church,  where  tables  were  spread 
for  the  large  company,  and  loaded  with  a  bountiful  feast. 
More  than  a  hundred  of  the  kindred  were  seated  at  the 
tables,  and  with  pleasant  talk  and  story  discussed  the  tempt- 
ing viands.  After  visiting  the  graves  of  their  kindred  in 
the  churchyard,  the  company  reassembled  in  the  meeting- 
house, where  Mr.  Ellis  Hayward  of  Rockland,  Conn.,  now 
for  many  years  an  honored  teacher  in  that  town,  addressed 
the  meeting,  and  in  eloquent  words  recalled  the  memory  of 
his  Uncle  Ellis  and  Aunt  Seney.  Others  also  spoke  of 
their  enjoyment  of  the  happy  occasion.  Cousin  Austin  A. 
Fletcher,  who  had  been  deeply  interested  in  the  meeting, 
then  moved  that  a  permanent  organization  of  the  descend- 
ants be  formed,  and  a  committee  appointed  to  arrange  for  a 
meeting  next  year  at  the  same  place.  His  motion  met 
with  universal  approval,  and  arrangements  were  made  ac- 
cordingly. 

But,  alas !  he  who  was  so  earnest  in  this  matter,  and  had 
entered  into  it  so  heartily,  will  meet  here  with  us  no  more. 


27 

Austin  A.  Fletcher  passed  away,  after  a  brief  illness,  at  his 
home  in  Franklin,  Oct.  29,  1891,  much  respected  and 
honored  by  the  town. 

The  meeting  closed  with  singing  the  following  beautiful 
hymn  to  the  tune  of  "Aulcl  Lang  Syne":  — 

It  singeth  low  in  every  heart, 

We  hear  it  each  and  all, — 
A  song  of  those  who  answer  not, 

However  we  may  call. 
They  throng  the  silence  of  the  breast, 

We  see  them  as  of  yore, — 
The  kind,  the  true,  the  brave,  the  sweet, 

Who  walk  with  us  no  more. 

'Tis  hard  to  take  the  burden  up 

When  these  have  laid  it  down. 
They  brightened  all  the  joy  of  life, 

They  softened  every  frown. 
But,  oh  !  'tis  good  to  think  of  them 

When  we  are  troubled  sore. 
Thanks  be  to  God  that  such  have  been, 

Although  they  are  no  more  ! 

More  homelike  seems  the  vast  unknown 

Since  they  have  entered  there. 
To  follow  them  were  not  so  hard, 

Wherever  they  may  fare. 
They  cannot  be  where  God  is  not, 

On  any  sea  or  shore. 
Whate'er  betides,  thy  love  abides, — 

Our  God  forevermore  ! 


RECORD  IN   THE   OLD   FAMILY   BIBLE   OF 
EBENEZER   TAFT. 


EBENEZER  TAFT    .     . 
MARY  (HOWARD)  TAFT 


BORN 

1758 
Oct.  10,  1760 


Oct.  3,  1836 
Aug.  15,  1848 


CHILDREN. 


ENDS  TAFT Dec.  8,  1779  Dec.  29,  1813 

BETSY  TAFT       June  n,  1781  Sept.  21,  1814 

PUTNAM  TAFT Aug.  5,  1783  Feb.  10,  1810 

POLLY  TAFT June  20,  1785  August,  1865 

SALLY  TAFT Oct.  21,  1788  March,  1855 

CHLOE  TAFT Nov.  7,  1790  May  14,  1824 

DEBORAH  TAFT Feb.  20,  1792  Feb.  14,  1814 

LEONARD  TAFT June  17,  1794  Oct.  25,  1872 

ELLIS  TAFT May  20,  1796  Aug.  15,  1851 

PHILA  TAFT Jan.  30,  1799  Feb.  17,  1885 

NANCY  TAFT Aug.  14,  1801  Jan.  14,  1849 

MILLENS  TAFT Jan.  20,  1804  June  6,  1890 


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